With the dreaded international break now at an end, attention can now return to what really matters, with Leeds United hoping to kickstart their season away to Millwall this afternoon following what has been an underwhelming start to life back in the Championship.
The Yorkshire giants are currently languishing in the bottom half of the table after picking up just six points from their opening five league games of the new campaign, with the arrival of promotion expert Daniel Farke – who twice steered Norwich City into the Premier League – having yet to have the desired affect.
In the German’s defence, he has had to steady the ship amid what has been a choppy summer for the club with 15 players having sought out pastures new, although patience will likely begin to wear thin if the 46-year-old – and his nine new additions – don’t begin to catch fire before too long.
What is the Leeds United team news vs Millwall?
As Farke revealed in his pre-match press conference on Friday, the Whites’ injury woes look to be easing up somewhat, with the likes of Patrick Bamford, Stuart Dallas and Junior Firpo seemingly the only definite absentees for the trip to The Den.
The ex-Borussia Monchengladbach boss did, however, reveal that there are doubts regarding the fitness of recent loan arrival, Djed Spence, with the 23-year-old having taken a “knock” to the knee earlier in the week.
Despite that potential setback, the likes Liam Cooper, Dan James and Sam Bryam are all in contention for this crunch clash, while it could also be an opportunity for summer signing Jaidon Anthony to make his first outing for his new club.
Will Jaidon Anthony play against Millwall?
The 23-year-old was signed from AFC Bournemouth on a season-long loan deal on deadline day, with that move seeing fellow winger Luis Sinisterra head in the other direction on an initial temporary basis, after just a solitary campaign at Elland Road.
While the latter man did endure an injury-disrupted 2022/23 season, he was still able to outline his quality after netting seven times in just 22 games in all competitions, while also getting off the mark this season in the 4-3 thriller against Ipswich Town.
To then lose such a “crucial player” – as described by Farke – so late in the window does look to have been something of a blow to Leeds’ promotion hopes, although in Anthony, the club have found a “proven Championship player”, in the words of his new manager.
The young Englishman was also the recipient of stellar praise from ex-Cherries boss Scott Parker in the past, with the former Chelsea and West Ham United midfielder stating: “…Jaidon Anthony is a player that goes under the radar, massively to be quite honest with you. What he does for this team is nothing short of incredible at times.
“I think we see his quality, his calmness, his silkiness when he makes good decisions.”
Such ‘quality’ was evident during his last stint in the second tier as the London-born speedster scored eight goals and contributed six assists from his 45 league outings for the south coast side, illustrating what a devastating “threat” he can be against Championship defences – as hailed by fan pundit Kris Smith.
To have lost a figure like Sinisterra so late in the day may appear hard to recover from, although if Anthony can rediscover his prior Bournemouth form, then Leeds could well forget all about their £21m addition.